Australian cruise operator Coral Expeditions will open bookings this month for its fourth expedition ship, to be introduced in mid-2019.
The company announced last month it had signed a contract for the vessel with Norwegian shipbuilder Vard, with plans to order a further ship at a later date.
The new addition will join Coral Expeditions’ existing fleet exploring the Kimberley region, Cape York and Arnhem Land, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and the South Pacific, cruising to areas often inaccessible to larger ships.
She’ll be Australian flagged and crewed, carrying a maximum of 120 guests in 60 cabins ranging from outside staterooms of 17m2 to suites of 43m2 with outside-facing bathrooms. More than half of the cabins will feature balconies.
Among the ship’s features will be two ‘Xplorer’ tenders mounted on hydraulic platforms that allow all guests to embark and disembark for shore excursions without steps or queues. It will also offer a lecture lounge equipped for daily presentations and briefings by expedition experts, as well as facilities to host scientific research missions.
Communal areas will include a dining room that will seat all guests and several indoor and outdoor bars.
More information on the as-yet unnamed ship will be revealed with the release of sales.
